Question
lation of birds, the Greater Prairie Chicken of Illinols, underwent a population bottleneck due to overhunting and loss of habitat The resulting population had too little genetic variation after the bottleneck scenario would most likely allow the prairie chicken population to recover rather than go extinct after the bottleneck? A Bring in new spedes of birds from other geographic regions to compete with the prairie chickens B Separation of the recovering population of prairie chickens into smaller subsets would ensure that at least one population would survive C Removing food variety so that the recovering population of prairie chickens has a single food source that they do not have to search for D Gene fow from other prairie chicken populations would provide an opportunity for members to interbreed in the recovering prairie chicken population
Answer
4.2
(337 Votes)
Victor
Elite · Tutor for 8 years
Answer
D (Gene flow from other prairie chicken populations would provide an opportunity for members to interbreed in the recovering prairie chicken population.)
Explanation
## Step 1:The problem involves understanding the concept of a population bottleneck and its impact on genetic diversity. In this case, the Greater Prairie Chicken of Illinois underwent a population bottleneck due to overhunting and loss of habitat. This led to a decrease in genetic variation.## Step 2:The question asks for a scenario that would most likely allow the prairie chicken population to recover rather than go extinct after the bottleneck. We need to analyze each option and identify which one would most likely contribute to the recovery of the population.## Step 3:Option A suggests introducing new species of birds to compete with the prairie chickens. This would not help the prairie chickens recover, but rather increase competition for resources.## Step 4:Option B suggests separating the recovering population into smaller subsets. This could potentially lead to further loss of genetic diversity and does not directly contribute to the recovery of the population.## Step 5:Option C suggests removing food variety so that the recovering population has a single food source. This would not contribute to the recovery of the population as it does not address the issue of decreased genetic diversity.## Step 6:Option D suggests gene flow from other prairie chicken populations. This would provide an opportunity for members to interbreed in the recovering prairie chicken population, introducing new genetic material and increasing genetic diversity. This is the most likely scenario to aid in the recovery of the population.